I’ve got an important question for you to consider as it relates to the quality of your life, relationships, reputation and legacy.

Ready? Let’s go.

If you’re not committed to living a life of EXCELLENCE, then what on earth are you committed to?

Mediocrity. Doing as little as possible?

No reply needed. Behavior never lies. Intentions are meaningless. All we have to do is look at your results.

Your commitment to whatever quality standard you deem important to follow, reinforce and display is one that requires rigorous examination.

CHOOSING EXCELLENCE

My goal in creating the 100 Day Challenge is to provide you with proven, actionable strategies for living a rich and robust quality life…one steeped in the principles of excellence.

Why should you choose excellence? Because excellence extols, advocates, and champions every best practice and noble virtue known to mankind.

While the system or environment you find yourself in might push you to become mediocre, to settle for a lower standard…the best option is to always choose excellence.

Excellence begins as a decision—one where you look at your life, business, and relationships and decide that everything you touch is going to be better, that the example you set is going to be inspiring, that the performance bar is going to be raised higher, and that the legacy you leave will be memorable and significant.

Excellence is not a situational value…and to live a rich and robust quality of life, excellence must become the standard by which you manage and measure everything you do.

]]>Crush Ithttp://www.everythingcounts.com/crush-it/
Tue, 28 Jun 2016 16:12:07 +0000http://www.everythingcounts.com/?p=6471With the second half of the year about to kick into gear on July 1st…I thought you’d enjoy a killer idea for CRUSHING YOUR THIRD QUARTER GOALS.

Let’s get started…

I believe that if you are going to work hard to achieve a goal, then you owe it to yourself to find the FASTEST WAY to get it done.

I believe that behavior never lies and that if you want predict someone’s chances of success (or your own for that matter), just watch how that person spends his or her time.

Time can only be compressed or expanded and that is precisely why you NEED to learn how to compress its use.

If you’ll allow me, I’d like to show you how to compress time in such a way that you’ll get more accomplished in 100 days than most people do over the course of 10 years.

From the moment you begin the 100 Day Challenge, I’ll push, prod and provoke you to implement the world’s best execution framework…and if you follow my lead…you will not only CRUSH YOUR THIRD QUARTER GOALS, you’ll completely transform your life.

Enrollment is just about to open so go here to get all of the exciting details.

Everything Counts!

Gary Ryan Blair

P.S. GROUP RATES?

If you have a group of 10+ and want to get the entire team engaged, click here and we’ll take good care of you.

]]>Become the GOAThttp://www.everythingcounts.com/become-the-goat/
Mon, 07 Dec 2015 02:40:25 +0000http://www.everythingcounts.com/?p=5951Everyone holds his fortune in his own hands, like a sculptor the raw material he will fashion into a figure. But it’s the same with that type of artistic activity as with all others: We are merely born with the capability to do it. The skill to mold the material into what we want must be learned and attentively cultivated. – Goethe

What makes someone ordinary become extraordinary? What is that separates the great from the merely good? What enables someone to become one of the great ones of their generation…a true master in their area of expertise…the greatest of all time? (GOAT)

Is it their intellect, genetics, or good looks?

Is it their charisma, leadership qualities or persuasion skills?

Some measure greatness in innovations and artistry, some measure greatness in physical strength and speed, some measure greatness in terms of financial gain and physical possessions, some measure greatness in applause and accolades, and some measure greatness in points scored, records broken and contests won.

While there’s no definitive formula or measurement for greatness, there’s also no denying that there are common traits that make great people and organizations stand apart from everyone else.

There are ways of doing things and thinking about the world that people at the top just do differently…and that is precisely what we are going to focus on in this message.

There are a lot of advantages to demonstrating greatness.

You enjoy category domination and greater customer lifetime value.

You raise the performance bar and influence the standard by which everyone is measured.

You get to claim premium prices and higher profits.

You develop a legendary reputation that opens the door to more people and greater opportunity.

And so much more.

Allow me to isolate two of the many attributes for unleashing your greatness.

#1 – Greatness Requires Emotional Commitment

Albert Einstein beautifully stated that “Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.”

The fact is…it’s an emotional quality, not an intellectual one, that separates the great from everyone else.

However, we live in a culture that tends to overemphasize intellect, of going to the best schools and of getting the right education…but greatness is far more dependent on being emotionally committed and loving what you’re doing.

Being emotionally committed to cause, problem or project enables you to go places others are afraid to go, to try things others are afraid to try, and to be the kind of person others are afraid to be.

You must engrave deeply in your mind and never forget: your emotional commitment to what you are doing will be translated into your work. If your work comes from a place deep within, its authenticity will be communicated.

#2 – Greatness Requires Self-Awareness.

The ones who are truly great by any reasonable standard, have a “presence” about them, a sense of power and conviction that transcends their current position or circumstance.

Unlike most people, the great ones know, in their heart of hearts, who they really are, why they exist and what they were born to do.

You’ll be free to pursue your highest ideal, once you discover your reason for existence.

Consider a few questions…

If you don’t know exactly who you are, how can you possibly bring your strengths to bear, and truly unleash your greatness?

If you don’t know exactly who you are, how can you possibly overcome the shortcomings, setbacks and challenges that are obvious to everyone else?

Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart for the simple reason that he who looks outside, merely dreams; but he who looks inside, awakes the giant within.

In putting together the 100 Day Challenge…I asked myself…”What is the single most powerful, most comprehensive results producing system or strategy that anyone, anywhere can deploy…and the answer to that question is to establish preeminence…to demonstrate greatness.

I’ll leave you with a few questions to contemplate and a bucket load of encouragement.

What more do you need to accomplish to become the greatest version of yourself?

What would it take to be the best in your profession?

A new week is about to unfold and with it a number of opportunities to showcase your greatness.

]]>Take Pride in Your Workhttp://www.everythingcounts.com/take-pride-in-your-work/
Sun, 06 Sep 2015 18:50:32 +0000http://www.everythingcounts.com/?p=5876Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees is one of those special athletes that had a fierce pride about ALWAYS DOING HIS BEST.

DiMaggio played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees, and is best known for his 56-game hitting streak (May 15 – July 16, 1941), a record that still stands…74 years later.

He was also a three-time MVP winner and an All-Star in each of his 13 seasons. During his tenure with the Yankees, the club won ten American League pennants and nine World Series championships.

Joe DiMaggio is the very personification of excellence and certainly proud of the quality and quantity of his labor.

In celebration of Labor Day which honors the American labor movement and the unique contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country…

…I wanted to use this message to focus on you and your labor, to get you to examine your life, your overall performance and to identify the things you are most proud of…and perhaps identify a few areas which could use greater attention.

Ready?

What are you most proud of?

Are your proud of the way you treat your body?

Are you proud of the house you live in? Do you take pride in it? Do you care for it, and make it look beautiful?

Are you proud of the example you set?

Are you proud of your parenting skills?

Are you proud of your kids and what they have become?

Are you proud of your money management skills? Of the way you make and manage money?

Are you proud of the work you have accomplished? What are the highlights?

Are you proud of the person you have become?

Are you proud of the quality of the friends you keep?

Are you proud of the contribution you have made to your community?

Are you proud of your husband or wife, and are they proud of you?

Have you given them something to be proud of, to take pride in?

Can you take pride in what you read, watch and think about?

What have you done physically that you are proud of?

Are you proud of your faith and your overall commitment?

Are you proud of your ability to express your feelings / emotions?

Are you proud of the strength, scope and depth of your intellect?

Are you proud of the way you handle difficult, stressful situations?

Are you proud of the quality of your character and demonstrated behavior?

In a world which seems to focus on the negatives of shame and regret, we should all elevate our game and focus on doing things which we can take great pride in.

Taking pride in one’s work, behavior and results is a personal commitment. It’s an attitude which separates excellence from mediocrity and a powerful demonstration of self-respect.

Your greatest responsibility in seeking excellence is to define what this means precisely in your life, then to choose the best course of action to make it happen.

It’s this decision which inspires you to maintain the highest standards while taking pride in your efforts, intentions and results.

To be more precise, it’s reputational currency that attracts people, opportunity and money into your life. Mediocrity is also a choice—not always made consciously—but still a choice.

It’s a self-inflicted wound which compromises quality, devalues potential, undermines credibility and reputation and repels people and opportunity.

In every case, the results of mediocrity is a deformed and ugly beast as it personifies a bad attitude, poor quality, lazy work ethic, inferior thinking, compromised values, and sloppy execution.

To drive this point home even further…mediocrity is the poorest choice among many alternatives, as it’s a character deficiency that exposes the person, team or company for the low standards they operate their lives by.

The only useful example of mediocrity, the only reason to stop and give it a moment’s attention is to remind yourself why excellence is the only way to go.

Excellence is not a relative term as you have NO CHOICE but to view it as the standard by which you judge everything you do.

Why? Because how you do anything…is how you do everything.

To reach the peak of your potential, and to become the person you were meant to be on the day you were born, EVERYTHING you do must be done with the single purpose of achieving excellence.

You must do it with a rock solid constitution, with an unshakeable belief and understanding that EXCELLENCE ALWAYS COUNTS.

The great part about personifying excellence is that it is achieved via QUALITATIVE, not quantitative shifts in developing skills.

What that means is a focus on developing key assets such as the quality of your thoughts, attitude, expertise, image, character, leadership, and reputation are priority #1, for the simple reason that an improvement in your qualitative assets GUARANTEES an improvement in your quantitative results.

Being part of a qualitatively different world or environment where excellence is expected and practiced is the key to achieving excellence.

The following quote from Martin Luther King beautifully demonstrates the meaning of a qualitative shift and how it pertains to personifying excellence.

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

The point Martin Luther King was making in this quote was that being “world-class” has nothing to do with size, education, or bloodline; but it does have everything to do with a sincere decision and strong desire to commit your live to excellence.

From a quantitative standpoint, your greatest responsibility is to define exactly what excellence means to you. You must view it from the perspective of every sense as excellence has a look, sound, taste, touch and smell to it.

Those who have legitimately reached the summits of their career have worked harder and longer, studied and planned more assiduously, imposed more self-discipline, practiced more self-denial, and overcame more difficulties then those of who have not risen as far.

EXCELLENCE IS A GUILTY PLEASURE as it’s a destination for anyone who appreciates, respects, and demonstrates hard work, good judgment and flawless execution.

That’s why we should all appreciate the merits of rich thoughts, high personal standards and a commitment to squeeze every ounce of one’s potential. That’s what personifying excellence is all about.

Learning how to personify excellence is the core theme that drives the 100 Day Challenge as it’s an improvement in the quality of your work and attitude that WILL drive a monumental increase in the quantity your results.

And, if you want to learn how to get more done in the next 100 days than most people do over the course of 10 years, AND dramatically improve the quality of your life in every area, then be sure to check out this extraordinary program.

]]>Why Bother Celebrating Excellence?http://www.everythingcounts.com/why-bother-celebrating-excellence/
Mon, 13 Apr 2015 02:16:53 +0000http://www.everythingcounts.com/?p=5683You make hundreds of decisions every day. Some matter more then others. But committing your life to excellence is one is one of the most important decisions you will ever make in terms of your life’s success.

The mission of the 100 Day Challenge is to inspire, promote and CELEBRATE excellence, and this particular message is meant to shine a bright light on the importance of rewards, recognition, and the fine art of celebrating excellence.

THE GREEN JACKET

The Green Jacket at The Masters Golf Tournament is considered to be the greatest individual award, and the most coveted prize in the world of Golf.

Today, 21-year old Jordan Spieth served notice to the golfing world with a record-breaking first major victory at the Masters.

He became the second-youngest player to win at Augusta, behind only Tiger Woods’ 1997 effort, and just the fifth man to lead the prestigious tournament from start to finish. Talk about starting fast and finishing strong.

Jordan paid the price, demonstrated an awesome display of excellence, and I trust he’ll be celebrating with his family and sleeping with that Green Jacket on tonight.

REWARDS, RECOGNITION, & CELEBRATION

I’d like to use the remainder of this message to focus on YOU and why you must incorporate rewards and celebration into your goal setting pursuits.

A funny thing happens on the way to success…

You build integrity, character, discipline, and a host of other intrinsic benefits that add credence to the old saying, “the journey is its own reward.”

Goals are natural value generators, often because of what you learn and become en route to their achievement. But having a reward that honors and symbolizes that achievement is a powerful motivator for continued progress and performance excellence.

Simply put, a reward is an extrinsic symbol for the

enforcement and celebration of intrinsic values.

If you want to improve your performance results, increase innovation to gain and sustain competitive advantages, create an environment that fosters excellence and ethical behavior then you must make rewards and recognition standard protocol.

Whether it’s a War Hero receiving a Medal of Honor, an Olympic athlete winning a Gold Medal, an Author being granted a Pulitzer Prize, a Martial Artist earning a Black Belt, or a young child winning a trophy for a local spelling bee – rewards and recognition promote and define personal excellence.

They not only serve to honor the accomplishments of exceptional individual or team performance, they bolster and endorse the specific actions, behaviors, and values that you are striving to put in place.

REWARDING EXCELLENCE

Few things in life are more demoralizing than having your consistently good performance go unrecognized.

The need for recognition and approval is a fundamental human drive, and one of the motivators behind our willingness to give and serve.

The goal of rewards, recognition and celebration is to feed that motivation and to promote and define excellence.

Those being recognized for excellence serve as models for their colleagues, inspirations to their communities, and leaders in their area of discipline.

Therefore, the successful culture or household is one that provides constant recognition and applause.

More directly, a successful culture or household is one that rewards the virtuous behavior it wants repeated.

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. When you reward the right behavior and its results, you almost guarantee a repeat performance.

The trick is to identify and reward the behavior you want repeated, as poor behavior also will be repeated if rewarded.

As you approach a new week…

I encourage you to become a great believer in the importance of celebration and rewards.

I encourage you to identify the virtuous behavior you want repeated in yourself, your family and associates.

I encourage you set challenging goals that raise the performance bar.

And, I encourage you to celebrate loud and proud once those goals are achieved.

Everything Counts!

Gary Ryan Blair

P.S. Understanding the importance of rewards and recognition is just one of 52 remarkable ways to inspire excellence that you’ll learn from Everything Counts.

]]>Habits of Happinesshttp://www.everythingcounts.com/habits-of-happiness/
Sun, 07 Sep 2014 23:33:28 +0000http://www.everythingcounts.com/?p=5409NO ONE can really be happy in any area of their life, nor be considered a success if they do not exercise integrity, if they do not consistently demonstrate excellence, and if they do not consciously focus on being just and honest with themselves and others.

Every departure from principle, integrity, excellence and honesty causes a loss of self-respect, and undermines your character.

And…every time we obey and honor the inward law of doing right we hear an inward approval, we strengthen our soul and personal constitution, and we build on our reputation with ourselves and others.

Have you ever noticed how much better you feel after having done a superb piece of work, how much more you think of yourself, how it makes you happy, tones you up and fortifies your whole character?

What a thrill one feels when contemplating his masterpiece, the work into which he has put the very best that was in him, the very best of which he was capable.

A Story of Pride, Hope and Glory

There’s an old story about a man who walks by a construction site and sees workmen pushing wheelbarrows, each filled with an enormous stone.

He asks one what they’re doing.

“What does it look like?” he says with a sneer. “Hauling rocks.”

Unsatisfied with that answer, the passerby asks another construction worker the same question.

The workman doesn’t bother looking up. “We’re putting up a wall.”

Frustrated, the man tries one last time. “I say there,” he asks the next fellow, “can you tell me what you men are doing here?”

The workman puts down his wheelbarrow, wipes his forehead and says with a broad smile, “We’re building a cathedral.”

Here are three men, all doing the same job. One is hauling rocks. One is putting up a wall. One is building a cathedral.

This story says a lot about the attitude that each of us brings to our lives… or could if we were willing to change our perspective.

My primary occupation, for example, is creating and distributing advice / information. One reason I write is to meet my overhead and put food on the table. To that extent, I’m hauling rocks.

A greater objective is to build a publishing and media business. The more successfully we market ourselves, the more people we attract, the better our business performs. To that extent, I’m putting up walls.

But the real objective of my creating and distributing advice is to help people throughout the world to achieve and maintain high levels of performance excellence. When I stay focused on that, I’m building a cathedral. (And, not incidentally, meeting my lesser goals, as well.)

Idealists will counter that achieving and maintaining high levels of performance excellence has nothing to do with building cathedrals. They are mistaken.

You can improve yourself, voice your opinions, or organize around a cause without a commitment to excellence. But you won’t effect much change in your community – or build an actual cathedral – without it.

Contrary to what some believe, performance excellence isn’t about “showing off nor showing up the other guy.”

Excellence is about pride, high-standards, and healthy self-esteem along with a commitment to being the best you can be. It liberates you from the crowded field of mediocrity allowing you to stand out, rise up and shine bright!

You can’t reach your potential or live life to the fullest if you spend your days making excuses, having or accepting low standards, and doing just enough to get by. No one can attain greatness by demonstrating mediocre behavior nor accepting it from the people they surround themselves with.

A commitment to performance excellence in every area of your life is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or woman, black or white, young or old, handsome or homely, educated or not.

If you focus on excellence, and never make an exception, you will find in short order that the cream ALWAYS rises to the top.

Performance excellence is freedom, security and peace of mind. It allows you to inspire and help others, to do and be what you want. It enables you to follow your dreams, to spend your life the way you choose on your terms.

A commitment to excellence gives you dignity. It gives you choices and fills you with immense pride. That’s why every man and woman has the right – and I believe the responsibility – to pursue excellence and to become their very best.

When my advice empowers people, when it gives them direction, comfort, hope and peace of mind, I feel good about my work. I’m building a cathedral.

You can apply the same line of thinking to whatever you do.

I created the 100 Day Challenge to show you how to achieve and maintain high levels of performance and invite you to join a very special community of people who are all committed to a common goal — creating lives of excellence.

The choice is yours. You can haul rocks. You can put up walls. Or you can build a cathedral.

P.S. It’s only fair to share, so please pass this message along and invite your friends and family to join you in this life changing program.

]]>THE DNA of EXCELLENCEhttp://www.everythingcounts.com/the-dna-of-excellence/
Sat, 21 Jun 2014 18:03:35 +0000http://www.everythingcounts.com/Talk2/?p=4798I’ve got an important question for you to consider as it relates to the quality of your life, relationships, reputation and legacy.

Ready?

If you are not committed to EXCELLENCE, then what are you committed to?

Is it good?

Is it poor?

Is it mediocrity?

Because results are everything and one’s behavior never lies, your commitment to whatever standard you deem important to follow, reinforce and display is one that requires rigorous examination.

Stick with me for a moment, and I’ll provide you with the specific “how related questions” which drive that examination.

Before doing so, we need to define the true meaning of excellence?

THE DNA of EXCELLENCE

Excellence is not a relative term; you have NO CHOICE but to view it as the standard by which you must judge EVERYTHING you do.

And, once you get serious about holding yourself to the STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE, you will quickly discover that committing yourself to a life of excellence cannot be accomplished haphazardly.

Excellence never occurs by accident. It always comes as the result of superior thinking and purposeful execution.

To reach the peak of your potential, and to become the person you were meant to be on the day you were born, EVERYTHING you do must be done with the single purpose of achieving excellence.

You must do it with a rock solid constitution, with an unshakeable belief and understanding that excellence ALWAYS counts.

EXCELLENCE DEMANDS CONSISTENCY

Since consistency is defined as the absence of contradiction, we must accept the reality that excellence is not situational, IT IS the single best standard by which you manage and measure every situation and aspect of your life.

Excellence requires that there be consistency in your behaviors and results. You only get a lifetime achievement award by building a lifetime body of excellent results.

READY…SET…MEASURE

Each of us must determine the specific results we must produce in order to deem our own life “excellent.”

And, once we make that determination, we must take a black and white, “yes or no” perspective as it relates to measuring those results.

The following questions will allow you to quickly, efficiently and effectively identify areas of excellence, as well as opportunities for improvement.

Are you committed to being in excellent physical shape? Look at your results.

Are you committed to being in excellent financial shape? Look at your results.

Are you committed to having an excellent marriage? Look at your results.

Are you committed to being an excellent parent? Look at your results.

Are you committed to being an excellent leader? Look at your results.

Are you committed to being an excellent student? Look at your results.

Are you committed to delivering excellent customer service? Look at your results.

Are you committed to being the best in your profession? Look at your results.

Are you committed to building an excellent reputation? Look at your results.

Are you committed to setting an excellent example. Look at your results.

Far too many people perpetually create their own dissatisfaction by consistently slipping into mediocrity.

THIS CAN EASILY BE FIXED, too, right now by simply deciding to quit doing less than excellent work. What a profound idea!

No matter how you look at it MEDIOCRITY IS A CHOICE; it’s not always made consciously, but it is still a choice.

You commit career malpractice every time you do things in a mediocre manner; every time you show up late; every time you are unprepared.

There is no inherent value in mediocrity, so there is no reason for people to stop and pay attention to you or your work.

Therefore, choose never to compromise your talent, quality, and high standards, and you will never choose mediocrity.

I created the 100 Day Challenge to show you how to fast track any result you desire, and more importantly…how to achieve that result in the spirit of excellence.

]]>Oozing Excellencehttp://www.everythingcounts.com/oozing-excellence/
Mon, 25 Nov 2013 18:58:42 +0000http://www.everythingcounts.com/?p=4262Excellence begins as a decision—one where you look at your life, business, and relationships and decide that everything you touch is going to better, that the example you set is going to be inspiring, that the performance bar is going to be raised higher, and that the legacy you leave will be memorable and long-lasting.

Excellence is not situational, however it must become the standard by which you manage and measure every situation.

“A man’s reach,” wrote Robert Browning, “must exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”

This reaching, this searching for something better, for the realization of a dream or ideal, is the pursuit of excellence.

It’s the motivation of the monk entering meditation or prayer, the farmer sowing seed, the nurse adjusting a patients pillow, the executive charting an organization’s future.

Excellence is the pulley by which we lift the present into the future.

Why choose excellence?

Because thestatus quo is not enough, in fact, it’s unacceptable.

Unfortunately, far too many people and organizations have not made that decision and function in a suspended state of mediocrity.

As a result, reputations are damaged, brands become diluted, and both opportunities and years are lost by blatant disregard for the small stuff which negatively impacts their overall results.

The popular philosophy that instructs us not to “sweat the small stuff” is flawed, because it breeds poor customer service, under performance, wasted opportunity, mistakes, inconsistencies, rework, and oversights.

From typos to tardiness, many people and organizations act as if details just don’t matter much. The result of this mind-set is that they treat customers poorly, deliver sloppy results, and show up both unprepared and late.

If a business, individual, family, church or country truly wants to create a culture of excellence and reach their full potential, then it must embrace and adopt EVERYTHING COUNTS as its operational philosophy!

This adoption will become the driver for organizing all educational, sales, service, government, family and quite frankly ALL performance-improvement initiatives.

WHAT TO DO NOW? Share your two-cents worth on committing to excellence both personally and professionally.